Letters of Hope
by silverfang076
Summary: One day after being beaten up again, Naruto discovers a letter on his bed. How will he be changed because of it? Read on and find out... Yeah, pretty bad summary. Please read/review, though!
1. Chapter 1

**I got this new idea the other day, so I'll probably be ditching my other stories for now. Hopefully the first chapter isn't too bad...  
Anyways, please read!**

Ch 1

Cold winds burst through the village, howling in their wake. Jagged icicles were formed all over and everything was coated in a light winter frost. The chilly darkness of the night did nothing to help, with a pale moon barely glowing through the heavy clouds.  
The winds picked up their speed and tore at everything in their path, which included a small unfortunate boy who was stumbling enough already in his shaky steps. Scarlet drops trickled along his body and left a messy trail as he hobbled along.  
*pant**huff*  
He eventually reached a run-down apartment that looked like it would collapse any moment. Approaching the door, he could see that someone had painted a message across it in bright, bold colors:  
GO AWAY AND DIE, DEMON!  
With a painful sigh, he unlocked the door and managed to take a few steps inside. He gave a small cry as his leg gave out beneath him while he was closing it.  
" Why-?" he broke off abruptly as he coughed up some blood.  
Wiping his mouth, he staggered to his feet, gritting his teeth at a new surge of pain.  
" Ugh..."  
The blond seven year-old stumbled over to his bed in the corner, not bothering to clean himself, and sank into it face-first. Home sweet home.  
That afternoon, as he was walking back to his apartment from school, a gang of adults who were drunk spotted him. They'd started beating him up, and soon attracted a whole crowd of others, most of them joining them in this activity as well. Eventually, a couple chuunins passed by, and decided to have some fun on this as well.  
Needless to say, he was not a pretty sight.  
He'd blacked out, regained consciousness, blacked out again, etc., etc., throughout the entire torture. It was deep into the night when he finally woke up alone, and started limping the long way home.  
" Mmmf-hm?"

Naruto discovered something on his pillow as he pulled it over to rest his head on. Lifting his head as much as he could, he found himself gazing at a white envelope.  
_A letter?_  
After a few moments of staring at it, he finally found the strength to open it with trembling hands. Unfolding the paper inside, he soon became thunderstruck at the words:

_Dear Naruto,  
Don't despair because of what happened to you today (and before). I know that you're much stronger than that. Hopefully, you'll be a good boy and follow my words to stay inside for three days. Only three. I will clean up the mess for you, so don't worry. After all, it was a pretty big crowd who did that.  
I know that you may not trust me, and rightly so. You have never seen me before, and probably never will. But know that I am your friend. I am your friend and always will be; that will never change. You can trust in me if you choose to do so, and I will be there help you from the shadows.  
Stay strong, and don't forget the three days.  
Grow up to be the great ninja you've always wanted to be._

Even though the words were simple, and held a chance of being false, Naruto was moved to tears. Those who had tried to hurt him before only made vague promises, such as 'I'll keep you safe' and 'I'll be your friend'. Notice the fact they never mentioned how long. But in this letter...  
_I am your friend and always will be; that will never change._  
Naruto blinked as he finally noticed the tears staining the pillow, and most of the letter. Gingerly, he placed the precious sheet of paper onto the ground next to the bed. The three days didn't matter anyways, even if the letter was fake, since he wouldn't be moving again for a week or so. That he was sure of.

_-9 days later-_

Naruto was finally able to move around now. That beating had been even more vicious than he thought. He winced at the fragments of that painful memory.  
Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was roughly around three in the afternoon. It was a Sunday anyways, and he decided to go for some ramen to cheer himself up from the depressing thoughts and dreary confine to his home.  
Stepping outside, he was hit roughly by a blast of cold air. Shivering and wishing for something warmer than the thin, blindingly orange, jumpsuit, he resigned himself to the miserable fact that he was going to turn into an ice cube by the time he reached Ichiraku's.  
" Brrr!" After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the familiar ramen stand. Naruto licked his lips hungrily as he smelled the tantalizing aromas wafting from it.  
" One miso and two pork ramens!" he announced as he rushed in.  
Ayame looked up from cleaning the counter, her face brightening as she saw the #1 customer of Ichiraku's.  
" Naruto! Where were you these last few days!" she scolded him gently as she began making his noodles.  
The blond scratched his head sheepishly, covering his true feelings with what he would usually have replied.  
" Sorry... but I had to stay home 'cuz I got hurt."  
Ayame shook her head at him before sliding a bowl of miso ramen in front of him, " Be more careful next time. Now, eat up!"  
Naruto dug into his ramen eagerly, savoring the taste and devouring at an inhuman pace at the same time. It seemed as if he'd become oblivious to the world around him.  
Key word: _seemed._  
A few other civilians threw distasteful looks at him as they ate their respective bowls.  
" Vengeful demon..." one muttered as he slurped up a noodle.  
Naruto's ear twitched.  
" What do you mean, Hideki?" the woman sitting next to the man asked.  
He made a distasteful sound in his throat, which did not go unnoticed by said blond, " The attack on the demon around a week ago... you know about that, right?"  
She nodded, " Of course I do. I watched in a little as well."  
At those words, Naruto felt something plummet in his stomach, and he was pretty sure that it wasn't the ramen.  
" Well. After it happened... something terrible happened to everyone who had joined in on the beating."  
The woman's eyes widened, " W-... what happened?"  
" Three days. In three days, all of them became raving mad. They went babbling on and on about random things no one understood, and were all terrified about something. Let me tell you, their minds snapped entirely. There was nothing even the Yamanaka could do to repair that. From what I heard, Ibiki couldn't have done so thorough a job."  
_Only three days._  
" Since the demon brat stayed in his place for around a week, we can't get our council to blame it on him, though we've tried god knows how many times." Hideki crossed his arms.  
_... stay inside for three days. I will clean up the mess for you._  
" Naruto, are you alright?" Ayame's voice finally registered in his mind.  
His eyes focused on her, and he saw that she was concerned for him.  
" You stopped mid-bite on your second bowl of pork ramen." she said worriedly, " Are you alright?"  
" I... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Naruto set down his chopsticks, a quiet look on his face.  
" Naruto-"  
In a flash, he'd bolted out of there, money for his meal hastily thrown on the counter.  
_I know that you may not trust me, and rightly so._  
Naruto forced his feet to run faster.  
_You have never seen me before, and probably never will._  
The feeling was swelling in his chest, and he was acutely aware of everything around him, every single detail.  
_But know that I am your friend. I am your friend and always will be; that will never change._  
He was finally there. Naruto plopped down near the head of one of the Hokages on the large mountain, breathless and head spinning._  
You can trust in me if you choose to do so, and I will be there help you from the shadows._  
Naruto finally started to breathe easier, and no longer felt that his head was swimming.  
_Grow up to be the great ninja you've always wanted to be_  
He finally noticed that his entire face was streaked with tears. But he smiled despite the oncoming tide, because he finally knew what the feeling was. He was finally acknowledged by someone, even if they didn't show up to tell him in person.  
For once, he was happy and at peace, knowing someone actually cared for him.

That night, a dark shadow slipped next to his window and paused, seeing an envelope balanced at the head of the mattress. Carefully opening the window and taking the envelope, the person saw a couple words written in the shaky handwriting of a child.  
_  
Thank you very much.  
Who are you?  
_  
A small smile graced the pale features, though it was hidden by the hood on the black cloak. Taking a pen out of a small pouch, the figure quickly scrawled a few words before placing the paper back into the envelope and returning it to its former position.

_You're welcome, Naruto. I'm glad that I could help you. You can call me... Insanity._

Glancing at Naruto before leaving, the person gently pulled the blankets over the small boy, as he had kicked them away and was now shivering from the winter cold.  
Then, the person slipped out the window and into the bitter cold and darkness once more.

**End of first chapter! By the way, just to clear up any confusion, "Insanity" is going to be an OC. Yeah, big shocker. The story won't revolve around the OC, though, since it's mainly going to be on Naruto. There will still be mentions later on, but I thought that it would be good to clear it up right now. Also, there will be a time skip in the next chapter.**

Please review and tell me what you think! It would be good to have some feedback and thoughts on this. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for not updating... and I don't have an excuse this time. ^^"  
Anyways, here's the second chapter!**

_"Naruto talking with the Kyuubi."_

**Kyuubi talking.**

_Thoughts of characters/Letters._

Ch 2

-Five years later-

_Dear Naruto, _  
_Congratulations on successfully graduating from the academy. I know the whole Mizuki-Iruka fiasco was pretty hard on you, but don't let Mizuki's words dwell in your mind. After all, you know that what happened wasn't the Kyuubi's fault, and you are his jailer, not the demon himself. Idiotic civilians and narrow-minded shinobi can't see that, just ignore them and keep your cool.  
On the other hand, you can learn much faster now that you've learned the Kage Bunshin. Since the knowledge the clone gains goes to you when it disperses, your training will become more efficient from now on. Currently, you may want to work on your kenjutsu. Not to be discouraging... but I think that you have a greater likelihood of stabbing yourself with your sword than your enemy. Work on your stances and a few of the basic moves I told you in the last letter. Also, I think you're ready to start working on elemental manipulation, since your ninjutsu is becoming pretty impressive (shame that you have no aptitude at all for genjutsu). Channel your chakra into the other piece of paper and tell me the results.  
Good luck with your new team.  
-Insanity_

Naruto grinned as he read the latest letter. He knew Insanity well enough by now (even though they never met face-to-face) to understand the meaning in his words.

"Channel chakra into the paper...?" he picked up the small white square from where it dropped onto the floor, a skeptical look on his face. Then again, Insanity hadn't been wrong... yet.

Naruto gave a small sigh before doing as the letter instructed. His eyes widened as the paper split in half before burning up. As in, right in his hand.

"AH!" he stared at the remains in amazement and sheer horror before shaking off his surprise and fetching himself a much larger, NORMAL, sheet of paper and a blue pen. The tip of the pen paused for a moment from the paper before dipping down and scratching furiously, leaving behind a trail of neat letters.

_Dear Insanity,  
Thanks a lot :). I don't know how many times I've written this, but it never seems to be enough in comparison to what you've done for me._

Naruto paused for a moment before he continued to write quickly.  
_  
The slip of paper you gave me split in half and then burned up when I channeled chakra into it. What the heck happened? I know for a fact that papers don't turn into barbecue when you channel chakra into it. Also, what does that have to do with elemental affinities?  
By the way, Kyu is teaching me a couple of his own fire-natured jutsus. I already learned one of them, and he called it 'hellfire'. It's really cool, the flames are all dark-reddish purple inside at the center but become clear at the edges. The next one is 'acid flames'. Judging by the name, I'm guessing that it's basically poisonous fire. I can't wait to learn it!  
Yeah, yeah, I'll practice kenjutsu 'cuz the sword feels pretty balanced and it's very neat, but NO GENJUTSU. I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO DO ANY GENJUTSUS!  
Other than that, I don't have anything else to say for now, so I'll be going for my morning laps around Konoha.  
Reply soon!  
-Naruto_

He stretched from his cramped writing position and popped his neck to stretch a little.  
_  
_"Well, time to get moving!"

Naruto grabbed his usual outfit, which consisted of a white shirt over some long black pants with dark orange stripes running down, and a tan combat jacket. His clothes were all loaded with storage scrolls that contained food, weapons, basic medical supplies, etc. Hey, it never hurt to always be prepared. Besides, he had his own experience in being caught unaware... Even though Insanity would help him, there were still always villagers out there with bad intentions.

"Let's see..." Naruto checked his equipment and increased his weights to prepare for another morning of training, "All set!"

Locking the door carefully behind him as he strode out, he set out on a quick jog around Konoha, trying to get used to his heavier weights. It was part of a daily routine he'd settled into: reply Insanity's letter, train, breakfast (Ichiraku's), going to school, lunch (Ichiraku's!), school again, afternoon training (connecting with the Kyuubi and learning from scrolls), an early dinner (ICHIRAKU'S!), and more training (the bulk of everything when there aren't many people around to watch) all the way into the night until he felt like he would collapse any moment.

*pant**huff*

The cool breeze felt wonderful on his face, and the air was fresh. Pale sunlight shone gently over the sleepy village. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy his morning run. Perfect. Peace, quiet, and-

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"What in the-" Naruto spun around and instantly blanched at the sight before him.

A brilliant sunset with golden light and crashing waves. Two people in green spandex with bowl-cut hairstyles. Thick eyebrows...

"Kai." Naruto whispered as he set his hands together to form the seal.

Nothing happened.

"Kai!"

The sunset seemed to glow brighter, and the two were hugging each other and raving about 'flames of youth' now.

"KAI!" Naruto was frantic by now. _What sort of a genjutsu is this, Kyu?_

**What?** The ancient demon looked through Naruto's eyes and immediately suffered severe trauma and shock. **Spandex-eyebrows-genjutsu-** he choked. **Run, kit!**

The duo were nearing Naruto now, who'd finally come to his senses and turned tail to sprint as fast as he could.****

"!"

Hatake Kakashi was a respectable jounin. A former ANBU commander, student of the late Yondaime Hokage, and wielder of the sharingan.

However, simply being a shinobi with a respectable status did not mean that everyone would automatically respect him. In this case, he was punched in the face as soon as he opened the door to pick up his recently assigned genin team.

"AH!" Sakura's eyes widened in horror as she saw her fist connect with a _jounin_, none other than the legendary 'copy-nin' himself.

_Oh. This could get very interesting._ Naruto watched the exchange with a slightly intrigued expression on his face.

**Very interesting indeed.** The Kyuubi's voice sounded in his head. **But do you really think it was wise to have used your future sensei for your Kawarimi?**

_Probably not._ he admitted.

**I thought so.**

Kakashi recovered from his initial surprise and surveyed the trio in front of him.

"My first impression of you guys... is that you're idiots. Meet me on the roof." shaking his head at them, he quickly shunshin-ed away.

There was a brief moment of silence in the empty classroom before Naruto finally stood up and strode over to the door.

"Well, let's go to the roof." he said simply, and strode towards the end of the hall to head up the stairs for the designated area.

_Somehow, I don't think that this team will work out. I have a bad feeling about this... I mean, a screaming banshee with no ninja skills whatsoever and a brooding Uchiha with a superiority complex?_

**You're probably right about that, kit. **The Kyuubi yawned as he curled up into a ball for a nap. **But, if you want to stay a genin, then you'll have to find some way to get through to them.**

_What do you mean?_

The fox demon chuckled. **You'll see.**

Naruto shrugged and opened the door to receive a blast of cold air, signifying that he'd reached his destination. That, and the fact that the masked jounin was standing there with his face buried in a small orange book.

Kakashi looked up from his reading to see the blond kid standing there.

"Where are the other two?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at seeing him standing there alone.

Naruto shrugged, "Dunno. I guess they're taking the long way up here."

"The long way?"

"Yeah. There's this set of stairs I found leading here once you turn the corner at the far end from the classroom."

"... Interesting..." Kakashi turned back to his precious book.

" Hey, what book are you reading? Is it good?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Icha Icha. It's an outstanding work of literature." the masked jounin replied, flipping a page.

"Uh..."

Before Naruto could question why he was reading porn in public, a shrill screech tore through the air, courtesy of... well, there's no need to say who, right?

"NARUTO, HOW DID YOU GET HERE BEFORE SASUKE?"

"Not again... My ears... My poor ears..." Naruto covered his ears with his hands, a pained look on his face.

Kakashi sweat-dropped. _I wonder if there's a silencing jutsu... Hm..._

Sakura stomped up to Naruto haughtily and threw another punch at him. Her eyes widened in surprise when Naruto caught her fist with no effort at all.

"I'm tired of taking your shit..." the blond grumbled angrily as he glared at her, "I'm not your personal punching bag, Sakura."

**Oh, so you're finally dropping your act now?**

_Well... personality, yes. I'm not going to go all out with my skills, though._

"Wha-But-" Sakura stuttered, her green eyes like saucer plates, "I thought you-"

"Had a crush on you? Yes. Well, I used to. You've made it quite clear that you hate me, and right now I couldn't care less of what you think of me." Naruto shoved her fist away, and she stumbled back.

_Sheesh. I'm glad that's over with. I don't think I could live another day of putting up with her tantrums._

"Right..." Kakashi intervened now. _I think that teamwork is completely out of the picture now._ "So, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourselves, now. Dreams, hobbies, likes, dislikes,..."

"Shouldn't you go first since you're our sensei?" Sakura seemed to have recovered from her ordeal and was back to her former self now.

"Hm... alright, then. I'm Hatake Kakashi... there's lots of things I like and dislike... I have many hobbies... and my dreams are none of your concerns." the jounin put his book down for the moment, "You next, pinkie."

Sakura looked outraged for a moment by the way he addressed her and by the fact that he only told them his name, but then decided against screaming at an elite ninja.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. My likes..." she blushed as she stole a glance at Sasuke, "Um, my dislikes are Naruto and ramen!" she hastily directed her words at Naruto, along with a glare.

"Hey, what did ramen ever do to you?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"My hobbies are reading and..." Sakura completely ignored Naruto as she looked at the brooding Uchiha again, "My dream..." the blush on her face intensified.

"Uh, okay. You next, blondie." Kakashi sweat-dropped again. _Great, just what I need. A fangirl of the Uchiha on this team._

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen and learning new jutsus. I dislike people who are arrogant and think their superior to everyone as well as banshees." he tuned out Sakura's outraged exclamations at the last part, "Oh, and the three minutes it takes to make instant ramen, 'cuz three minutes is way to long." he added thoughtfully.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this.

"My hobby is training, and... I dunno, I don't have a dream anymore." Naruto shrugged.

_I remember Sarutobi saying that Naruto wanted to become the Hokage. Did something happen on the night with Mizuki...?_ Kakashi wondered briefly.

"Right, waiting for you, emo."

_Calling Sasuke an emo? I think I like my sensei!_

Sasuke glared at Kakashi for a moment before speaking, "I am Uchiha Sasuke. I have no likes or dislikes, as well as hobbies. My goal... is to kill a certain man."

Sakura squealed about "Sasuke's coolness", while Kakashi mentally face-palmed. _The kid should be in a mental ward!_

"Now that we've gotten to know each other a bit, remember to meet me at training ground no. 7 tomorrow at eight in the morning for the actual genin exam."

"What! You can't be serious!" Sakura screeched, "You mean the tests we took were for nothing?"

Kakashi waved a hand dismissively, while his ears were still ringing, "That was just to see which candidates were ready. Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will actually become genin."

Naruto nodded. Well, it did make sense to him...

"Oh, and here's a tip: Don't eat breakfast, or you'll throw up." Kakashi, having said his part, shunshin-ed away, leaving the three kids alone on the roof.

-Next Day, 10 o'clock-

Kakashi had seen a lot of strange things in his life. Gigantic slugs fighting with colossal toads, the Sandaime fainting from a certain blond kid's... unique... jutsu (don't ask), the Yondaime Hokage defeated with a rubber spatula (again, don't ask). Yet he had never seen a team like this before.

Naruto: Running laps around the training area.

Sakura: Trying to impress Sasuke.

Sasuke: Brooding. What else can you expect?

The ex-ANBU shook his head. They were probably going to fail his test.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura, having no success with Sasuke, decided to bellow at her sensei instead.

Scratch that. They were _definitely_ failing his test.

Naruto ran over as he finished his lap, "What's our test going to be?"

Kakashi looked at his team for a moment before sighing and launching into the explanations of the bell test.

"... In short, you'll just have to get a bell from me to pass. The person who doesn't get a bell is tied to the stump and sent back to the academy while I eat lunch."

"You could've said that from the beginning." Naruto grumbled.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "You'll have two hours. Start."

The kids disappeared as soon as he said the last word, and he pulled out his precious Icha Icha. What a way to start his day.

**Hopefully that wasn't too bad. Fighting scene in the next chapter! Sorry if this one is kinda boring...  
Please review and tell me what to think. I'll try to get a quicker update!  
**


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